Despite diesel fuel prices almost 90% higher than a year ago, Oregon’s employment in truck transportation followed its typical seasonal pattern during the past 12 months. In June, the industry matched its year-ago payroll employment of 19,500. The highest-ever June level was 19,900 in 2006. The industry currently supports perhaps 5,000 additional self-employed truckers in Oregon. The number of self-employed truckers grew from 4,048 in 2002 to almost 4,800 in 2005, double the growth rate of payroll jobs over the same period. The state’s truck transportation jobs are concentrated along the I-5 corridor and 30% are in Multnomah County. Half are with general long-distance freight companies and had average pay exceeding $44,000 per year in 2007, higher than Oregon’s $39,566 all-industries average. During the last recession, between 2000 and 2002, trucking lost 1,400 jobs but gained back a larger number by 2005.